Making Connections

I had THE best conversation about Macbeth yesterday (Friday) after school with a student who stopped by to retake a quiz. She still wasn't remotely ready - was convinced that one of the lines referenced in the quiz was said by the Thane of Cawdor (you know, the one whose execution is mentioned at the beginning of the play?) so I told her to study over the weekend & come see me before school on Monday.

It is now 11:11. I'm wishing for the same thing I always do (but of course, I can't say what it is, because that would ruin EVERYTHING).

Anyway.

I don't even know what brought it on; we just went through and read the parts together. Macbeth is a play I love for its lines - and we're not even to the really juicy stuff, like the sleepwalking scene, or when Macduff finds out about his kids.

Is Macbeth really reluctant? is he wrestling with guilt or methodically plotting, making contingency plans? Does his wife convince him to commit the murder, or is he letting her "lead" him, so that she's as thoroughly involved as he is? Do you think she really could have killed her own child? or Duncan? ... she didn't, after all, and Macbeth DID...

We were there for nearly an hour and a half, reading the funnest parts and talking about different possible interpretations and what that would mean for the story. (My poor Hunk napped in the car outside!) As we were packing up, she said, "Wow, Ms. Keys, now I'm actually excited to find out what's gonna happen next!"

Just before she left, she made me PROMISE that I would let her re-re-take the quiz Monday morning. hahaha... she is as much of a grade-grubber as any of 'em. Wants to be an honor graduate because it looks good, and it'll help her get into a Good College. (Can't let an older sib outperform her!)

It amused me, yet bummed me out a little, because here we had a BLAST exploring the story... but when it comes down to it, the grade is what matters.

I guess it's hard to overcome years of indoctrination - and, let's face it, human nature in that we LIKE to look good in comparison to others! - in one afternoon. But I hope that as she continues her studies she won't forget what it was like just to be immersed in a brilliant story.

And I hope that somehow I can create that kind of experience for the rest of my students. Few - if any - of them would be willing (if able) to give that kind of time. And as challenging as it was, it's a lot easier one-on-one than with a classful.

But it'd be nice...

Tangent: I cry every single time I watch this video. We're going back over fall break and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Image thanks to http://www.eharborinc.com/blog/

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Facilitating a Habit

I love this post by author Justine Larbalestier. In the post, she's talking about how some people would say you "have to" make time for writing, and that if your writing really matters to you, you won't sacrifice that time, even if it's "just" half an hour a day.

Those people are full of it.

Sometimes, yanno, life gets in the way. You do what you gotta. Writing should come first? Really? What about family? What about your health?

It's very reassuring to see that I'm not the only one who struggles with this - not so much as a writer, but as a teacher. I care about what I do. Really! And it is so easy to get caught up in shoulda-woulda-coulda. But that way lies madness, my friends.

Oo, boy, this may get lame. It is almost 11:30 at night and I am going to finish this because I decided last week that Saturdays would be one of my updates. No time for revision, Doctah Jones!

So, this year, our district asked teachers who have the same classes to create common "benchmark tests." The idea is that this way, it's more consistent. Students who have different teachers can still help each other out. It's a more reliable way to measure student progress (though I'm not sure why, since students don't teacher-hop after the first week or so). Whatever.

I don't really see the benefit to this, to be honest, but I really do enjoy sharing instructional plans and batting ideas around and being challenged by other professionals. So I'm in.

The problem is that we weren't given the same period for planning, so getting together to create these benchmarks is ... problematic at best. We do have our after-school time, sort of. (Teachers are required to stay for about half an hour after students leave.) However, that's also time that we're supposed to use for giving make-up tests and other help to students who request it. Fortunately none of us is a coach!

And I have to draw the line somewhere. I take papers home to grade all the time - in fact, right now there's a box of research papers behind me. I do unit planning mostly outside of school time. My prep period is usually taken up with publications and/or what grading I can crunch in and any parent calling that needs to be done.

I feel like Captain Picard in... was it Generations? The one where he's talking about the Borg: "The line MUST be drawn HEAH. This fah, NO fahthah!" He was so adorably emphatic.

I don't want to be assimilated, even if it's by something I love.

Bill Ferriter of The Tempered Radical hosted a Voicethread discussion about PLCs. I think this is what our administration is going for... sort of. And I like the idea. That makes it even more frustrating not to have the support we need to make it feasible.

(Anybody able to help me understand what possible use there is for common assessment?)

Image thanks to danzel27.xanga.com

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